Entertainments | Restaurant Reviews | Town House & Garden Cafe
Situated at the top of Kenilworth Road, the Town House and Garden Cafe now takes up the building that used to contain the Berni Royal and the Inn Within.
There is a lounge area where you can sit and have a drink before your meal before you go into the restaurant. The restaurant is luxuriously decorated in a Victorian style, as is the rest of the place, and you will find illustrations of many of Leamington's landmarks on each of the walls.
The staff were all friendly and courteous whilst serving and, when finished, we hardly noticed our plates were being taken away. They took pride and care over the smallest of detail yet their manner was not intrusive. We were left a decent amount of time in between meals to let our food settle before the next course was brought to us and we comfortably chatted away, enjoying our wine from an extensive selection.
There were, all in all, ten starters to choose from, far more than in most restaurants I have visited recently. The range varied from deep fried brie in a walnut crumb to a confit of duck leg, which made the choice very difficult. Eventually I plumped for the fresh soup which was delicately flavoured and deliciously creamy, it was served with a selection of fresh bread. My companion had a bowl of moules mariniere with French bread which I'm told was mouthwatering.
For our main meal we had a choice of pasta, salad or a variety of fish and meat dishes all traditional favourites but served in a more interesting manner. I chose the pasta penne in a white wine cream garlic with a roasted red pepper essence. It was a very rich dish, which is not a complaint, the sauce did not taste too much of garlic and theportion was generous, my companion chose grilled salmon with a mild mushroom polenta and a cream and tarragon sauce. Although a little dubious about polenta she felt that the creamy texture - complemented the tender salmon.
This was followed by desert. I must admit actually finding room for a dessert was quite difficult but as ice cream has always been a favourite that is what I chose - and I was not disappointed.
It was shame that the restaurant was fairly empty, on the evening that we visited, it certainly did not deserve to be. The Town House and Garden Cafe has a wonderful setting, well trained staff, an excellent menu and we left the restaurant full and happy. Well recommended.***** Katy Rush
